Captured
by The Tunnels All Around Me
Summary: On the surface, the two apprentices appear to hate each other, but is it really hate they're feeling? All original character! T for safety. For the Monthly Writing Challenge at WillowClan! Please read and review, everyone. :D


**Hey, guys. I'm really excited to post my first fan fiction to the site! I really hope everyone likes it. OCxOC crushy-fluffy romance. Written for the challenge at WillowClan! This story is inspired by the Owl City song, "Deer In The Headlights." :D **

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own anything but the clothes on my back! And I definitely don't own Warriors! Read and review? =D **

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**~Captured~**

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

Large droplets of water plopped on my nose. I looked up and saw the hole in the bracken roof of the apprentices' den. It had rained last night, and water was dripping into the den . . . right on my nose. Groggily, I got to my paws, turning around so I could sleep till sunrise without further interruption.

Of course there was an interruption. But rather than water, it was Sandpaw's tail. And rather than it hitting my nose, I stepped on it. In one fluid motion, she jumped to her paws and spun around. "Mouse-dung!" I cursed as she let out a low hiss.

"I'd tell you to watch where you're going, Russetpaw, but you'd have to stop looking down upon others long enough to look down at your own paws for that," she spat.

"What's your problem? I didn't do it on purpose!"

"That must be why I received such a sincere apology. You're _quite _forgiven, in that case," she meowed, her tone harsh and sarcastic.

"Well if you'd give me a moment without hissing at me, I might be able to apologize. It's too early for you to be biting my head off over nothing! Oh, never mind! It's always a good time for you to be nasty to a 'friend'," I growled. Sandpaw made it a habit to annoy every member of the Clan she could find and for some reason, she thought it especially fun to provoke me.

"Well if you hadn't been so considerate to step on my tail, I wouldn't want to bite your head off."

"Would you two shut up and share tongues already?" I felt my fur get hot and turned around to see a very disgruntled Honeypaw.

For a moment, Sandpaw glared at her littermate. "Sorry for waking you. It's just this mouse-brain stepped on my tail," she mewed apologetically.

Honeypaw yawned once then took a long look at the larger she-cat. "You don't even think, Sandpaw. You just . . . don't. You keep getting into trouble—you think about insults and fighting too much," Honeypaw explained around another yawn.

At that, Sandpaw opened and closed her mouth; her face resembling that of a stunned fish. I couldn't help but purr at her odd expression. She turned to me and glared.

"Oh, so the next deputy is allowed to purr at the silly behavior of mere apprentices like us!" Honeypaw's tone was playful unlike her sister's, but I had taken enough insults that morning.

"I don't get it," I spat, my fur starting to bristle again.

"Get what?" she asked tauntingly.

"I don't get you," I mumbled, looking down at my paws.

"What?"

"Who stole your prey this morning, Russetpaw? You're usually not this annoying," Honeypaw meowed irritably.

"Well," I began, exasperated, "I was woken up and—" I broke off as the pale ginger she cat started shaking her head.

"Come on, what am I supposed to say?" I asked.

Honeypaw just shrugged and shook her head once more.

"Come on, Whitepaw, help me out here!" I mewed, looking over at the lump of fur that somehow resembled my unreliable friend.

His only response was a snore. How he managed to sleep through the events I'll never know. I turned my back everyone else and padded outside.

Of course, it had to be raining.

"Fox-dung!" I swore as the water pelted me. I scampered across camp and skidded to a stop under the overhanging of the Highboulder, the perch that Rainstar used whenever he addressed the Clan. The fresh-kill pile was only a few fox-lengths away from me now. It looked particularly wet, but my stomach growled. I galloped across the camp once more, snatching up a mouse with jaws and heading to the nearest den to eat my prize.

It was the elder's den. A pudgy tabby tom cat with bright green eyes greeted me with a purr. "Oh, did you come to bring me a mouse? How thoughtful of you! Of course Rainstar brought me a pigeon this morning, but I think I have room enough for such a small, but delicious looking mouse. You're my favorite apprentice, you know, Russetpaw. You're right on track to be made a warrior! Thinking about the elders so selflessly. I do have a feeling you'll be deputy one day, you know."

I had spent the length of Yellow-whisker's speech trying to tell him that he had made a mistake, but every time my mouth opened he mewed more. After such compliments I had no choice but to surrender my morning meal to the fat elder.

I dropped it at his feet, staring hungrily. "There you go. I hope you enjoy it."

"Oh, I will," the old cat purred. "I'd offer to tell you a story, but you probably have other, more important things to do. You never liked my stories as a kit. It was always 'I want to be an apprentice! Can you take me hunting, Yellow-whisker? Please! You're not too old for hunting.' And now look at you!"

I dipped my head to him and exited the den. This time, I didn't bother running in the rain for fear of slipping in the mud. I took a wistful look at the fresh-kill pile, but Sandpaw was selecting something from it. I didn't want to be near her after that incident. Maybe I could sneak a vole or some other tasty bit of prey if I were to go hunting. With that thought, I padded to the warriors' den. Redwing was laying next to her mate, asleep.

"What do you need, Russetpaw?" the gray tom next to her asked quietly.

"I want to go hunting."

"Go on. I'll tell her when she wakes."

I exited the camp quickly, wanting to be alone. After all that had happened this morning I was jealous of my mentor's mate. Not because he was next to the sleeping form of Redwing, but because that I couldn't be next to the sleeping form of the cat I wanted.

I starting running in search of some sort of shelter till the rain let up. Before I could find it, however, the pouring rain slowed to a light shower. I crept through the forest, as slowly and and quietly as I could. I was in search of a replacement for the mouse that was snatched from my jaws earlier.

Finally, the faint scratching of a mouse reached my ears, causing me to freeze in place. I could hear my heart thump louder in my chest as the sound of the tiny creature's scratchings became louder and closer.

As I readied myself to strike, the sky lit up as a bolt of energy flashed towards the ground. I sighed, looking around in a frenzy for some sort of shelter as the wind continued to batter me.

I found my shelter in the form of a dead and rotting tree with a hollow in its base. It wasn't a very big hollow, but it was large enough to house my small body. I decided that it was comfortable enough to make up for missed sleep. I had just closed my eyes when I heard a loud thud. My hair stood on end as I turned my head to find the hollow utterly absent of light. There was a fallen tree blocking the entrance.

There was a small gap near the top where a little light came through, but it was not large enough for me to squeeze out. I let out a yowl for help, and heard another crash of lightning as if it were a reply.

_Great. I'm going to die here. Beaten by a couple of rotten trees._

Well, at least I had time to sleep. . .

* * *

When I woke, there was no sound of thunder or rain. However, there was the sound of nearby footsteps. Again, I yowled. "Help! I'm in the hollow stump and there's a tree blocking my way out! Help me dig out!"

I started digging into the dirt next to the tree, hoping that the cat out there was doing the same. I dug as quickly as I could, trying to make the hole just big enough for me, but my hollow was soon up with dirt. I closed my eyes and tried to crawl under it and to the other side.

Somehow, I managed to squeeze through. I saw pale ginger paws as I wriggled my way out, still digging away at the entrance.

_Please don't be Sandpaw. Please don't be Sandpaw. Please don't be Sandpaw._

As I squirmed out, I looked up into the face of my rescuer. It was . . . Sandpaw.

"You step on my tail, say nasty things to me, and I save you from a tree. And I'm willing to bet my front paws that you'll say something just as nasty as soon as you open your mouth," came her mocking mew.

"Thank you," I growl, not wanting to prove her right.

"Oh StarClan, take my life!" she said with a sarcastic gasp. "The great hero Russetpaw thanking some lowly she-cat like me!"

My fur felt slightly hotter. _Does she really think that I'm that arrogant?_

"Oh and, Russetpaw . . . You owe me," she finished with a growl, and with a flick of her tail she turned to prance off.

"Hey!" I yowled, before my mind caught up to my actions. Sandpaw paused and turned back to look at me, with a satisfied look on her face.

"What do you want?" Her voice was gruff and as I heard her angry tone I flinched inwardly at my idiocy.

"Want to hunt together?" I suggested feebly, hoping that request wouldn't end in a hiss or a sarcastic retort.

"Sure, whatever," she replied and strutted off into the drowned undergrowth, not bothering to make sure I was following her.

* * *

The sky was stained pink, with faint streaks of gold and violet splashes streaming through. The first StarClan warriors were already twinkling in the sky and Sandpaw and I just sat there, on the edge of a rocky cliff, and watched the sun retreat.

"I wonder where it goes. . . ." I glanced over at the ginger apprentice, shocked because for a moment Sandpaw had lost all her witty sarcasm and sounded like she was an innocent kit, full of wonder and awe about how the world worked. I mentally shook myself for having such soft thoughts and returned my gaze to the sundown sky.

"Perhaps to its den; for all we know, the sun could be one of many and they have their own Clan, perhaps the day is like a patrol by just one member of their Clan," I mused, and glanced over at the she-cat again.

"Perhaps, but we will never know." She sighed almost wistfully. I frowned, confused by her tone and her words.

"We might—you _never _know." After that, she started purring and I couldn't help but purr back.

"I wish—I wish I did know . . . about some things."

"Like?" I prompted, intrigued by her thoughts and hoping that she was willing to share them with me.

"Like how to make my mother as proud of me as she is Honeypaw."

For a moment I entertained the thought of flicking my tail against hers playfully. Maybe she wanted some sort of comfort when talking about these kinds of things.

"Come on, Sandpaw. You could have it as bad as me. My father is the great hero of ThunderClan! Not a moment to spare for the son who's expected to be just like his father."

"Is that why you're always so serious all the time? Because you have to be like Blazestorm?"

I nodded.

"Do you like your father?" Sandpaw suddenly mewed.

I grimaced as I mulled over the question. "Yes, but only whenever he's away from the rest of the Clan."

The ginger she-cat gave a snort. "Certainly doesn't sound like you do."

"Well, do you like your mother?" I retaliated.

"Yes," she answered shortly, her voice once more gruff and her fur standing up.

"Certainly doesn't sound like it," I mewed back, trying to keep my voice light and playful.

She sighed before looking over at me, her eyes filled with emotion that I couldn't quite place. I wondered at that moment if she was feeling the same thing I was.

"Well this was a nice little gathering." Her sarcastic tone was back—of course it was back.

"Yes," I responded, thoughts of her returning my affection fading from my mind.

"But really," she meowed, her voice soft and sincere once more. "This was a nice gathering."

She then turned to leave. I opened my mouth to say a goodbye and then thought better of it.

I stared at her paws as they started moving, hoping to StarClan that she would stay with me and watch the sky for just a bit longer. She turned to me again. "Oh and, Russetpaw."

"You still owe me."

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**I hope you liked it, everyone. :) Don't be shy, leave me a review. I'll be your friend forever! **

**Chrissy out. **


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